Tiger Woods no longer a cut above the rest of PGA golfers

Well, here we are again folks, they’re playing a golf tournament this week and it’s the same ol’ story. It’s “Tiger Time.’’

You remember Tiger Woods?

Chris O'Meara / The Associated PressTiger Woods shot a 74 in the first round of The Players Championship on Thursday and is in danger of missing the cut for a second consecutive week.

He won the Players Championship in 2001, after which he fell from No. 1 in the world all the way down, at the moment, to No. 7.

This year, after winning for the first time on the PGA Tour in three years, Tiger tied for 40th at the Masters, his worst finish at Augusta National as a professional.

Last week, he missed the cut at a tournament in North Carolina, for only the eighth time since turning pro.

In the year and a half since Tiger dropped from No. 1, four players have held the position.

In the past 2 1/2 years, no player has won more than three times in a season on the PGA Tour.

This year, Luke Donald, ranked No. 2 in the world, has finished out of the top 30 in five of his eight starts.

Last year, Woods didn’t finish the Players Championship.

On Thursday, Woods may have shot himself out of this week’s tournament with a 74.

He shot that number in front of the largest opening-round gallery, and he’ll probably have the largest crowd today as he tries to make the cut.

That’s how it is when you’ve won 14 major championships.

That’s how it is when you think, and your fans think, you’re young enough to win five more majors to pass Jack Nicklaus.

Woods is trying to climb back up the ladder in a game he dominated. He finds himself in a war that tells the world he’s almost as good as the Tiger Woods of 2000.

Tiger has been trying to prove he has put one of sports’ most explosive scandals behind him, doing it in a game far more mental than physical.

His scorecard says he has lost his way, that he’s not the same as the Woods who owned four major championships at one time — the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA in 2000, and the Masters in 2001.

Ben Hogan had won three majors in 1953, the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.

And Arnold Palmer (in 1960) and Jack Nicklaus (in 1972) had won two.

But Tiger’s story was far more historic.

“You can’t win a U.S. Open by 15 shots, and you can’t win a British Open by eight shots, but that’s what Tiger did,’’ said Woods’ swing coach, Butch Harmon. “The total domination was incredible. There has never been anything like it.’’

Tiger won his third straight major in the PGA Championship, defeating Bob May in a playoff.

“I shot three 66s, and he still beat me,’’ said May.

When the green curtain had descended on the 2001 Masters, Tiger had completed the “Tiger Slam,’’ finishing two shots ahead of David Duval, three ahead of Phil Mickelson.

In Sunday’s final round, eight Duval birdies were not enough.

For Mickelson, it was a case of becoming the first man to shoot four Masters rounds in the 60s, and not being good enough to win the tournament.

For Woods, with a 68 on Sunday that made history, it was a case of a 25-year-old kid proving he was a gift from the golfing gods.

The thought of winning four majors in a row, which gave him six total, did not leave him trembling at the possibility of such an achievement.

“I felt relaxed all week,’’ he said.

“What Tiger did was as incredible now as it was back then,’’ said Demark’s Tom Bjorn. “The thing that people had a hard time with was that it was all about him. He was the show. Everything revolved around him — galleries, television, media attention. You had to deal with that. If you didn’t, you were beat. Most of the time, you were beat anyway. He was in a league of his own.’’

Not anymore. But the galleries still say otherwise.

What about the pundits?

Mostly, it’s a sad song.

“Tiger’s golfing brain is completely addled,’’ said Peter Alliss of the British Broadcasting Company. “He’s gone.’’

Masters Champion and TV analyst Nick Faldo: “Tiger’s lost his self-belief, his self-confidence.’’

TV’s Brandel Chamblee: “Tiger should bring Butch Harmon back. He’s letting ego get in the way of common sense.’’